Running with Endurance

Back in my high school days I was undoubtedly in the best physical shape of my life. How so? Well I ran cross-country in the fall and track in the spring. All the miles of hitting the pavement, fields and cinders kept my body lean and strong.

I learned a lot of lessons from my running days. One of which was the need to focus whenever I ran a race. The days I was able to do this well, I finished well. On days that I did not ... well let's just say I might have done better if I had stayed in bed!

The writer of the book of Hebrews likens the Christian life to a race. He urges us to run the race "with endurance." And we need to do so for our journey of faith is much more like a marathon than a sprint. He also gives the key to doing so . . . and that is that we must "fix our eyes on Jesus" and "consider him" (Hebrews 12:1-3). Only as we look to Jesus (and keep looking to Jesus) will we avoid the temptation to throw in the proverbial towel and end up on the sidelines.

Our essential Jesus initiative is designed to help us sharpen our focus on Jesus, which is something we all need to get intentional about doing. Distractions abound in our culture that would pull our gaze away from Christ. So let's make sure we get serious about our focus. When we fill our minds with Jesus, the distractions that try to enter will find no room!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj